Before relocating to London to pursue a degree in anthropology, Stacy Bias grappled with whether flying was worth the stress. As someone weighing over 300 pounds, the prospect of air travel was daunting for Bias. She dreaded being scrutinized, receiving unkind remarks from fellow passengers, or being asked to buy an additional seat. Her anxiety about flying became so overwhelming that she eventually stopped boarding planes altogether.
With encouragement from her partner, who had recently moved to the U.K., Bias mustered the courage to fly to London. Shortly after, she created a Facebook group aimed at providing support, advice, and a space for discussion among fat travelers who faced similar challenges. The group quickly attracted nearly 4,000 members. Bias, as part of her undergraduate research, distributed a survey within the group to gather experiences of air travel.
“I had to take down the survey after just three days due to the flood of responses,” Bias recalls. Most participants, like Bias herself, reported feeling scrutinized, harassed, and unwelcome during their flights.
Bias conducted interviews with nine survey respondents, which led to the creation of the short animated film “Flying While Fat,” posted on YouTube in 2016.
“The animation aims to humanize fat individuals,” Bias says. “Fat people, especially fat passengers, are often discussed but rarely engaged with directly.”
While some of Bias' subjects enjoy flying and traveling, they are often disheartened by the visible discomfort of other passengers when they walk down the aisle. Many describe a heightened awareness of their body size and the space they occupy, alongside frequent verbal harassment, threats, and even physical abuse.
One interviewee highlighted the issue of fairness regarding seating space on planes. “People are acutely aware of the value of the space they’ve paid for,” she explains. With increasingly smaller seats and aisles, she suggests that passengers are more likely to contest how much space they believe they are entitled to.
For those who are smaller, the struggle to fit into an airplane seat might seem minor. However, for Bias subjects, it is a significant concern. “This issue deeply affects people’s ability to travel, see family, and participate in important life events. It has a profound impact on their lives,” Bias notes.
Bias argues that fat travelers often feel like they are viewed as burdensome, which, combined with the hostility from other passengers, can discourage them from flying.
She advocates for standardized policies across the airline industry to address these issues and to create more accommodating spaces on planes. Currently, policies vary widely: some airlines, like Alaska and United, mandate that passengers who cannot lower both armrests buy an extra seat, while others, like Delta, merely suggest it.
Bias believes that airlines need to prioritize passenger comfort over profits, ensuring that everyone, including those who are larger, can fit into bathrooms and other spaces on the aircraft. She points out that some passengers even dehydrate themselves before flying to avoid using the restroom.
Bias argues that a review of industry policies would benefit not just fat travelers, but also those with disabilities, injuries, or long legs. “Everyone faces discomfort on planes, and it’s becoming increasingly severe,” she says.
She hopes to publish her study's findings shortly. In the meantime, she aims for her film to foster empathy and understanding among all passengers, encouraging them to recognize the humanity of those around them.
“The most crucial thing fellow travelers can do is acknowledge the humanity of everyone they’re sharing the flight with,” Bias concludes.